News
Louisiana state government offices to be closed in 29 of 64 parishes Saturday
State offices in 29 parishes across Louisiana will remain closed Saturday, Feb. 20 due to potentially dangerous road conditions due to severe winter weather. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne announced office closures for Avoyelles, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, DeSoto, East Carroll, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Red […]
Vaccinations slow after storms delay shipments of 6 million COVID-19 doses
WASHINGTON — The extreme cold weather across much of the country has delayed 6 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, slowing a vaccination rate that has been steadily rising since the Biden administration took office last month. The backlogged doses account for roughly three days’ of delayed shipments affecting all 50 states, due to road closures, snowed-in […]
Winter storm leaves Louisiana with 1 million under boil-water notice and 125k without power
Much of the state remained bleak in the wake of a deadly winter storm that pierced Louisiana this week as nearly a million residents remained under boil-water advisories and 125,000 were without electricity in frigid temperatures as of noon Thursday, Gov. John Bel Edwards said. Of those without power, about 20,000 — mostly in the […]
Teachers and staff in K-12 schools added to vaccine eligibility list
Teachers and staff at K-12 schools and daycare facilities will be added to the list of people in Louisiana eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday at a press conference. “We’ve always prioritized teachers as a group,” Edwards said. “Now is the right time to do this.” Edwards said distance […]
Feds ramp up emergency help for states hit by extreme weather
WASHINGTON—White House officials said Thursday that they have been in close touch with governors in storm-stricken states including Louisiana and Kansas to extend emergency assistance—but they also stressed the role of climate change in the weather crisis that has gripped large swaths of the nation. “The extreme weather events that we’re experiencing this week across […]
As Louisiana continues freezing Gov. Edwards asks Biden for emergency declaration
Gov. John Bel Edwards asked President Joe Biden to declare an emergency in Louisiana in response to a winter storm that has caused multiple deaths, power outages and water shortages across the state. In a letter the governor sent Wednesday evening, Edwards writes, “Extreme winter weather, including record low temperatures, snow, sleet and freezing rain, has […]
Evictions, homelessness surge in southwest Louisiana after hurricanes
A pre-existing housing crisis in Lake Charles, along with slow federal aid, have left some renters unhoused for nearly six months. This story from Southerlymag.org is third in a three-part series supported by the Pulitzer Center about how southwest Louisiana is recovering from Hurricanes Laura and Delta amid the pandemic. Read the first and second. […]
Biden backs reparations study, as House Dems push for commission
WASHINGTON—The White House on Wednesday indicated that President Joe Biden would support studying reparations for slavery, the same day that House Democrats held a hearing on legislation that would set up a reparations commission. But White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stopped short of saying Biden would sign the bill under consideration by the House […]
Louisiana’s timetable for road, power and water system repairs unknown
State officials say there is still no timetable for when state highways will fully reopen because the weather has been so unpredictable. Gov. John Bel Edwards said on his monthly radio show on 89.3 FM WRKF in Baton Rouge that Interstate 10 from Baton Rouge to Lafayette would undergo a “staged reopening” because temperatures in […]
Louisiana’s bad weather delays vaccine shipments, appointments
The Louisiana Department of Health says bad weather across the state delayed vaccine shipments to hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and other health care providers. The delays are expected to affect people’s ability to get both first and second doses of vaccines in the coming days. “This is similar to delays in other areas outside of Louisiana […]
Louisiana state government offices to be closed in 36 of 64 parishes Thursday
State offices across Louisiana were shut down the first three days of the week, and on Wednesday afternoon, Louisiana Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne announced that in more than half the state those offices will remain closed Thursday because of continuing bad weather. Dardenne announced office closures for Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, […]
Added COVID-19 testing on the way with $1.6B from the Biden administration
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is directing $1.6 billion to bolster COVID-19 testing nationally, including money to expand testing in schools and homeless shelters, boost supplies needed for testing, and analyze results to more quickly identify new strains of the virus. Roughly $650 million of the sum would go toward creating regional coordinating centers, which will […]